Eyes of a Stranger
by CadillacJack
Summary: Catra recognized the eyes staring back at her. They were the same ones she always dreaded looking into whenever Shadow Weaver was around. Takes place during episode 11 (Promise).


**So has you all know the new She-Ra came out a few weeks ago.**

 **Four binge watching sessions later, I think it's safe to say that I love it! :)**

 **My favorite episode definitely has to be Ep.11 (Promise). A whole episode dedicated to Adora and Catra's relationship…yes please!**

 **One thing I noticed though was the gap of time between when Catra left Adora to die and when she made it back to the Horde base. It got me thinking about what other things could have transpired in that time.**

 **So without further ado here is my deleted scene-esque fic that answers just that.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own She-Ra but I sure wish I owned Catra's suit from Episode 8**

 **Eyes of a Stranger**

Catra ran through the endless darkness, hoping in vain to find the entrance to the temple.

Fortunately, her path seemed to be clear of any obstacles. None of the temple's endless metal spiders were in sight. But Catra knew that if any dared to cross her path, her claws would make them sorely regret that decision.

When she stopped to catch her breath, Catra reached into her pocket, pulled out the pink data crystal and smirked.

" _A piece of First One's tech and it's all mine_ ," Catra thought. " _Sure hope that purple haired bimbo can make good use out of this. Would make up for all the hell I've been through here_."

Catra placed the crystal back in her pocket and continued running. Although she tried to keep her mind focused on finding the exit, her brain couldn't help but think back to Adora. Her last interaction with the blonde was stuck on repeat in her mind.

Catra remembered an unwritten rule in battle that went something along the lines of: never look into the eyes of those you kill. They will haunt you forever.

The frightened, tear stricken eyes of her former best friend were doing just that. It was a look that Catra had never seen on Adora'a face before and truth be told, it kind of scared her a little. Though at the time she wore a mask of malicious glee, and callously threw Adora's sword away like it was a worthless trinket, Catra felt a piece of her die when she saw the utter desperation in the girl's eyes.

Catra shook her head viciously and snarled.

" _Serves her right! She betrayed everything we ever stood for! She betrayed the horde, she betrayed our cause, and she betrayed...me_."

When Catra felt her eyes become misty, she slapped herself back to reality.

" _I'm better than she ever was. I'm stronger than she'll ever be! I don't need her! I don't need anyone! I DON'T NEED ANYONE_!"

Catra suddenly felt like her lungs were about to explode. She stopped and took several deep breaths before she wrapped her tail around her legs.

" _But I hope she makes it out of here okay_."

Catra let out a low hiss, wondering just where that thought had even come from.

" _I mean…of course she'll get out of here! She's too god damned determined to get rid of that easily. She'll be back, I know it...I hope_."

Catra shook her head violently and looked around the surrounding darkness. When she glanced to her right, Catra could see the faint outline of the multi-colored ramp that led into the temple. Grinning from ear to ear, Catra sprinted towards the exit as if her life depended on it.

But after running for what felt like hours, Catra saw that the exit seemed to be moving farther and farther away the more she ran.

Catra snarled and forced her already sore legs to run faster. She shut her eyes and felt her rage bubble to the surface.

"GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Suddenly, Catra felt her body go completely weightless as she began to fall forward. When her eyes snapped open, Catra saw a metal floor coming up fast. Her natural, sharp reflexes kicked into overdrive as she somersaulted in the air and landed sharply on her feet.

Realizing she wasn't about to die, Catra took a moment to calm herself down by taking several deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, Catra found herself in the same droning, metal hallways as before.

" _Oh not this shit again_ ," Catra groaned.

She turned and started walking down the hallway, her footsteps echoing loudly.

"Excuse me?"

Catra nearly jumped high enough to touch the ceiling. She instinctively spun around and unsheathed her claws to their full length.

But the sight of a six year old Adora stopped her dead in her tracks.

For a while the two just stared at each other. It reminded Catra of earlier, when she and her six year old self had locked eyes with each other. Thinking back on it, it unnerved Catra as to how these mere simulations could suddenly feel and notice her presence.

"What are you staring at?" Catra yelled at the young girl after an eternity of silence.

Adora sniffled and looked up at her with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Can you help me find Catra? I can't find her anywhere."

Catra nearly laughed out loud at the absurdity of the question. Surely if these...temple projections came from her and Adora's minds, shouldn't they be able to tell one from the other.

For some reason, Catra felt slightly guilty about leaving the girl without an answer.

"Uh...yeah I'm her," Catra finally replied, annoyed. "Don't you notice the hair, tail and...I'm talking to a hologram. This is completely pointless."

Catra turned and started to walk away but stopped again when the little girl's voice invaded her ears.

"Please? I hate being alone," The young girl cried.

"That makes two of us," Catra muttered as she turned back to face Adora.

"Look I don't know how to explain this to you but...you're not real. You're just some…thing that this temple created because I apparently needed to go through a guilt trip today. The Adora I know is back there, about to fall to her death…and hopefully burning in hell shortly afterwards."

A flash of guilt rained in Catra's mind as she spoke that last part. But she simply gave her feelings the middle finger and continued.

"So why don't you just leave me alone and go back to your world of make believe?"

Adora's eyes began to fill up with tears. "But I know you can help me find her! We've done everything together!"

Catra growled darkly and pinched the sides of her nose. "We seem to have a failure to communicate. You are an illusion and I'm reality. I'm sure wherever your Catra is she's around somewhere."

Catra glanced down at her feet. "You're probably better off without her anyway."

It didn't seem possible but the young girl's eyes grew bigger. "But...why? She's the only friend I have."

Forgetting the situation she was in, Catra turned sharply and glared at the small girl.

"Oh really? I thought everyone loved little miss, can do no wrong and is the chosen one."

Adora shook her head and looked down at her shoes. "They just like me because I can do cool stuff. They don't care about how I feel or what I think...not like Catra. She is the best friend ever!"

"I'm not hearing this," Catra snapped as she turned away.

"I hope I find her soon," The girl suddenly perked up. "The horde's combat practices are about to start soon! They're so much fun to watch! You do know what fun is right?"

"Shut up," Catra growled darkly as she shut her eyes.

"You don't look like someone who has fun often. You must be the most miserable person ever."

"Shut up."

"You're nothing but a dumb face. When I find Catra she'll make you sorry! She's the toughest, strongest and most loyal friend I've ever had."

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

With her eyes still shut, Catra extended her claws to their fullest length and swung them towards the young girl's face.

But when she felt her claws hit the target, or pass through in this case, a different sound rang out. It was something that struck a chord within the young feline's soul.

Catra opened her eyes and saw her six year old self lying on the ground.

The girl was trying unsuccessfully to keep the tears from falling down her cheek. Her right hand was holding the left side of her face and her small frame shook violently.

Catra's eyes became as wide as dinner plates as she took a few steps back.

"CATRA!" A young voice echoed down the hallway.

The young Adora suddenly appeared next to the injured girl.

"Catra, what's wrong?" The little girl asked, her voice as sweet and innocent as a newborn.

The young Catra wiped her eyes and looked up at Adora.

"S-S-Shadow Weaver was just here. I was just trying to move past her and she...she...hit me."

Adora looked around with a confused expression. "Catra...there's nobody around."

Catra shook her head and wiped her eyes. "N-n-no she was here. I just saw her and she..."

The raging confusion in Catra's brain blocked out the rest of what the little girl was saying.

She was about to step forward and confront her, when she noticed something that made her blood freeze.

The floor below her had gone from metallic plates to an almost glass like appearance. The reflections of Adora, Catra and her younger self could be seen as clear as day.

But what really made Catra's fur stand on end was her face in the reflection. Where her face should have been, there was nothing but an empty space. Complete blackness filled the entire area, except for two soulless, white eyes staring back at her.

They were the same eyes that Catra had always dreaded looking into whenever Shadow Weaver was around.

While Catra's eyes widened in fear, her reflection's simply stayed motionless. Never blinking and never moving.

Catra placed both hands on her eyes as she felt the world spinning around her.

"This isn't real!" She screamed. "This isn't real! This isn't real! THIS ISN'T..."

For whatever reason, Catra stopped herself mid scream and slowly lowered her hands. The glass like floor, and the horrifying specter within, was gone. Adora had also vanished into thin air, leaving only Catra, both past and present.

The young girl stared straight into her older counterpart's eyes.

A sense of déjà vu came over Catra as she felt the young girl's eyes pierce her soul. The look of utter disappointment on the child's face hurt her more than anything Shadow Weaver, the Rebellion or even Adora could ever do to her.

The two felines stared at each other for what seemed like a 1000 years. Not a word was spoken. Not an eye was blinked. Catra even started to forget why she came into the temple in the first place.

Suddenly, a lone tear fell from the child's left eye. Catra soon felt the same tear running down the left side of her face.

Without warning, the girl began to glitch violently before disappearing out of existence. The hallway and everything around Catra, soon broke away into an army of colored pixels, leaving only empty darkness behind.

Once again, Catra found herself in the one state she hated more than anything else.

Alone.

Suddenly, the pink data crystal began to glow vibrantly. It was so bright that Catra had to briefly cover her eyes. But when she looked again, Catra found herself standing next to the entrance of the temple. The gate had lowered and the daytime glow flooded into the darkness.

Catra ran out of the temple like a man released from prison.

She ran only a few meters before she stopped to catch her breath, and her sanity. Catra gave one last glance at the temple before she put on a stoic mask and made her way back to the Horde base.

XXXXXXX

To say Catra was exhausted would be the understatement of the century.

After making it back to the Horde, Catra had to deal with Scorpia's over protective nature and her lack of understanding of personal space. Not to mention having to deal with Entrapta's eccentric nature and ability to get out of her restraints like they were made out of toothpicks.

Catra tossed Entrapta the data crystal which made the latter turn into a kid in a candy store. Catra slightly smiled as Scorpia and Entrapta swung each other around in celebration. It was an odd crew to say the least, but good help was slowly becoming a dying art.

Catra turned and started to walk away when Scorpia said something that made her stop in her tracks.

"She is the best friend ever!"

Catra felt the air rush out of her lungs when she heard this. All her memories of the temple's simulations came flooding back, specifically the words spoken by a little girl with blonde hair and a gap between her two front teeth.

Thankful that her back was turned, and Scorpia wouldn't start asking over and over if she was alright, Catra simply dropped her shoulders and placed her stoic mask back on.

"Just keep it down. I'm going to bed."

Catra thought she could hear Scorpia yell something along the lines of "Aye Captain!" but the sliding metal doors closed too soon to be able to tell.

Catra slowly moved towards the barracks. Thankfully she didn't encounter anybody on her way back. Her current mood would probably make her scratch the face off anybody who even made eye contact with her.

When she finally made it back to the barracks, Catra took off her red headpiece and threw it carelessly on the floor. She curled up on the end of the hard bed, like she had always done.

Noticing that no one was around, especially not on the bed she was on, Catra's stoic mask shattered and the tears flowed freely down her face.

 **Holy feels Batman!**

 **Well hope you all enjoyed my story and feel free to let me know what you think!**

 **Might do more of these deleted scenes if the mood strikes me. :)**

 **Until then: Peace!**


End file.
